James Speidel was arraigned in April in Washington County Circuit Court.Michal Thompson / Argus

A Bethany man accused of trying to kill his wife and four children with a natural gas leak in April pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder Wednesday.

Circuit Judge Gayle Nachtigal sentenced James Willis Speidel, 37, to 20 years in prison, according to the Washington County District Attorney's Office.

Speidel, a former Nike executive, was arrested April 24 and later indicted on nine counts of attempted aggravated murder. He pleaded guilty to five of those counts in a plea agreement Wednesday afternoon.

On the morning of April 24, his wife, Laura Speidel, smelled natural gas, fled the home with her four children and called Northwest Natural Gas. Company crews found that an outside line had been cut, spewing natural gas under the house. They turned it off and suggested calling the sheriff's office.

Washington County sheriff's investigators said the line appeared intentionally cut and was placed so that gas could fill the crawl space, potentially leading to an explosion.

Laura Speidel told a deputy her husband had a lengthy history of being depressed and suicidal, according to court records. She then told the deputy she was worried her husband cut the line.

Eventually, Laura Speidel reached her husband by phone and asked him if he knew anything about how the gas line became cut, court records say.

He replied: "Yeah, I did it. ... I wanted you and the kids to disappear," court records say.

Deputies found James Speidel and his truck near Northwest Old Germantown Road and Northwest Germantown Road. He was transported to a hospital to be treated for a possible overdose of over-the-counter pain medication and vodka, according to court records.

At the hospital, James Speidel repeatedly told a deputy he was "wanting to be gone from this world," court records say. He reportedly wrote "I'm sorry" on a white board in his hospital room.